Theoretical analysis for the influence of the core radius on long period fiber grating sensors

Abstract

The influence of core radius on refractive index sensitivity of long period fiber grating (LPFG) sensor has been studied theoretically for the first time, and a new method to fabricate LPFG sensor with high sensitivity is proposed. The structure and parameters of the optical fiber, the period of the gratings, and the coupling order of the cladding modes are all held consistent in the process of studying the change of the core radius. The resonant wavelength of LPFG sensor shifts with changes in the external environment, which is simulated by the transfer matrix method. The sensitivity of LPFG sensor is enhanced by more than 200 times when the core radius increases from 3.1 to 5.1 μm. The results show that LPFG sensors with larger core radii have higher sensitivity. Selecting a fiber with a large core radius to fabricate LPFG sensors is proposed as a method to improve the sensitivity of these devices. This new simple and effective method is expected to be widely used in the manufacture of high sensitivity LPFG sensors in the future.